GUARDIAN'S FUND

My sister is a guardian of her later daughter's two sons. She worked as a PA to a Deputy Minister. She has been getting funds from the Guardian's Fund which are sourced from her late daughter's pension fund. She annually applies for the funds in September and would normally receive the funds around November. Last year one of the children got his surname changed to his father's name and when the application for the funds was made this became an issue.

My sister was instructed to get a confirmation letter from the pension fund of which she did, and payment was processed. She app**** for the fund again this September and to her surprise the was no response. She waited for the funds to be transferred to no avail. She went to the Guardian's Fund Offices to enquire only to be told that the issue that is stalling the matter is the change of surname of the other boy. What puzzled us is why if there was a problem, didn't the Gurdian Fund communicate with her.

She explained to the guardian fund that she had notified them last year of the change of surname through a letter which came from the pension fund but now they are demanding the same letter. To make things worse is that they now want the letter to be sent directly to them by the Pension Fund.

The matter has stalled, kids do not have money for clothes during this Christmas season and schools will be reopening soon. Because of a change of surname, the kids will have a black Christmas this year.